Nichols, Mike (1931-2014), was a famous German-born director known for his work in motion pictures and on the stage. Nichols won an Academy Award for directing The Graduate (1967), his second movie. His other films include Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), Catch-22 (1970), Carnal Knowledge (1971), Silkwood (1983), Working Girl (1988), Postcards from the Edge (1990), The Birdcage (1996), Primary Colors (1998), Closer (2004), and Charlie Wilson’s War (2007). Nichols won nine Tony Awards , including a record six Tonys for best direction of a play. He also won a number of Emmy Awards for his television work.
Nichols began his directing career with Barefoot in the Park (1963), a Broadway comedy . Nichols later directed such plays as The Knack (1964), The Odd Couple (1965), Luv (1966), Streamers (1976), The Real Thing (1984), Biloxi Blues (1988), Monty Python’s Spamalot (2004), and Death of a Salesman (2012).
Nichols was born on Nov. 6, 1931, in Berlin. His original name was Michael Igor Peschkowsky. He immigrated to the United States in 1939 and became a U.S. citizen in 1944. He joined a Chicago theater group in 1955. Later, he and another member of the group, Elaine May , formed a team that put on satirical comedy skits. Nichols died on Nov. 19, 2014.
